CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Chattanooga's Lesley Boyd earned a bid to the NCAA National Cross Country Championships to be held Saturday, November 23 in Madison, Wis.
 
Boyd finished 10^th in the NCAA South Region Championship Friday and was the fifth individual finisher not on an automatically qualifying team. Florida State, Tennessee and Lipscomb earned at-large bids making Boyd the No. 2 individual qualifier from the South Region.
 
Boyd is the 24^th All-Region selection for Chattanooga and earned her second straight. She becomes the ninth NCAA National qualifier. Amanda Lynch earned at-large bids in 1998 and 1999. Shannon Wommack was a three-time qualifier (2002, 2004, 2005) and earned All-American honors in 2004 and again in 2005. Kathleen Turchin also earned All-American honors with Wommack in 2004. Lanni Marchant qualified in 2006 and went on to compete in the 2012 Olympics for Canada in both the 10K and Marathon. The Mocs last qualifier was All-American Teghan Henderson in 2013.
 
The Mocs finished 17^th overall in the South Region Championship. Alabama won the race followed by Florida, Florida State, Tennessee and Lipscomb.
 
Furman men's team earned an at-large bid out of the Southeast Regional.
 
MOCS HEAD COACH ANDY MEYER
"We are very proud of Lesley and the hard work and dedication she has put into this accomplishment."
 
"No one works harder than she does, no one cares more than she does, and no one deserves success more than she does.  She is a local girl that has done everything correctly and thus has been justly rewarded.  No one works harder in the weight room, during our workouts; with her rehab and no listens better than Lesley."
 
"What is even better and sweeter for her is that things were a little rocky for her during her freshman and beginning of her sophomore year.  She was just average at best, but then she became more focused, more dedicated, more secure in herself as a person which manifested into her progression as a runner.  Since that point of time, she has been on a study upward progression."
 
"Lesley is and has been our team leader for the last couple of years.  As good as she is with running, she is just as good in the classroom.  She has a 4.0 in grad school and is married to the winner of last week's Chickamauga Marathon and former Moc, Jonathan Boyd."
 
"As a coaching staff we could not be prouder of her!"
 
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